Staff Writer Tiffany Esshaki covers Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills and Bloomfield Township as well as Oakland County Parks and Recreation and Oakland County Animal Control and Pet Adoption Center. Esshaki has worked for C & G Newspapers since 2011 and attended the University of Michigan-Dearborn and Oakland Community College. She’s the recipient of several awards from the Michigan Press Association and the Detroit chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

OAKLAND COUNTY — As reports come in from across the country of pets dying after ingesting blue-green algae found in lakes, the Oakland County Health Division is reminding residents that the same thing could happen here if we’re not careful.

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — Asked whether residents would prefer a special assessment tax to maintain township services or pay for retiree benefits with budget cuts — including the elimination of public safety positions — the voters were clear: Make the cuts.

OAKLAND COUNTY — Laurie Van Pelt, the Oakland County director of management, budget and chief financial officers, was named the deputy county executive Aug. 5. She is the first woman to hold the title.

BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP — Asked whether they would prefer a special assessment tax to maintain township services or pay for retiree benefits with budget cuts — including the elimination of public safety positions — the voters were clear: Make the cuts.

BIRMINGHAM/BLOOMFIELD/PONTIAC — When Bloomfield Township resident Barry Barber takes his classic concept car — a Lincoln Futura with a 383 Chevy Hydro torque engine — on the road, he gets more than just gawkers. He gets fanatics.

BIRMINGHAM — Just ahead of an already contentious vote on a multimillion-dollar development proposal, tensions climbed even higher as two residents filed suit against the city of Birmingham, alleging violations to the U.S. Constitution and the Michigan Open Meetings Act.

BEVERLY HILLS — The bad news is that between outdated and even toxic infrastructure, climate change, and industrial contamination like oil and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, Michigan’s Great Lakes are in big trouble.